More people are turning to artificial intelligence for emotional support

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - Millions of Americans struggle to access mental health care — whether it’s the price of therapy, long waitlists, or simply not knowing where to start. For a growing number of people, the first place they turn now isn’t a counselor’s office — it’s artificial intelligence.

According to the American Psychological Association, millions of people worldwide are using all-purpose AI chatbots to help with mental health needs. With just a few keystrokes, apps like ChatGPT can offer advice, comforting words, and even step-by-step coping strategies in seconds.

Those detailed, human-sounding answers can feel like real therapy. Recent studies show many users struggle to tell the difference and may overestimate what AI can safely provide when it comes to emotional or psychological support.

But researchers and mental health professionals are clear: AI chatbots are not a safe or effective replacement for a licensed therapist.

“The quality of the therapist–client relationship — the human connection — is the strongest thing that produces therapeutic relief, thriving, and growth,” said Reagan Farris, Counseling Director at Wiregrass Hope Group Counseling Center.

That human connection, experts say, is something no algorithm can truly replicate. A therapist can read nonverbal cues — body language, eye contact, changes in tone — and adjust in real time. A chatbot can only respond to words on a screen.

For many people, the path to AI chatbots begins with something else: loneliness.

“It’s unfortunate that sometimes people are so lonely in the world that people have to go to a computer system to get answers for real-life circumstances,” said counselor Jessica Cotton with Wiregrass Hope Group Counseling Center.

AI can respond instantly and around the clock, but mental health experts caution that speed isn’t the same as understanding — and that when emotions and safety are involved, human connection matters most.

Wiregrass Hope Group Counseling Center says if you or someone you know is struggling, reaching out to a licensed mental health professional — not a chatbot — is the best first step. AI tools, they say, should never be treated as a stand-in for real therapy.

The American Psychological Association also urges people to use AI cautiously and to verify any medical or mental health information with a licensed professional.

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